Desiring God

Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

“The overriding concern of this book is that in all of life God be glorified the way He Himself has appointed. To that end this book aims to persuade you that the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever” (p. 18).

For 25 years, pastor John Piper has been provoking Christians with the simple but paradigm-shattering truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

Satisfaction. Happiness. Joy. The pursuit of pleasure in God is not only permissible; it’s essential.

Building his message on hundreds of Scriptures, especially from the Psalms, the apostle Paul, and Jesus himself—and echoing the likes of Blaise Pascal, Jonathan Edwards, and C.S. Lewis—Piper beckons us to approach God with the hedonist’s abandon. Finally, we are freed to enjoy Jesus not only as our Lord and Savior, but also our all-surpassing, soul-satisfying Treasure.

As important today as ever, Desiring God may turn your Christian world upside down. And that will be a good thing, for the glory of God, and for your deepest joy.

"Aside from that day in 1960 when I trusted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, the most important thing I ever did in life, at least in terms of spiritual development, was to read, in 1986, Desiring God by John Piper. —Sam Storms, pastor of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

"The communion of a longing soul and a satisfying Christ is at the center of God's plan. Piper makes this overlooked, contradicted, trivialized, and sentimentalized message clear and compelling. Desiring God is a classic—now it's even richer."—Larry Crabb

"The healthy biblical realism of this study in Christian motivation comes as a breath of fresh air. Jonathan Edwards, whose ghost walks through most of Piper's pages, would be delighted with his disciple." —J. I. Packer

"The first edition of this book profoundly influenced my life. I am delighted to commend the tenth anniversary edition." —Jerry Bridges